James, NCEdworthy, CVan Niekerk, LaraLamberth, SJAdams, JBWhitfield, AKDeyzel, SHP2026-02-182026-02-182026-070921-29731572-9761https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-025-02273-zhttp://hdl.handle.net/10204/14688The capacity for estuaries in coastal seascapes to locally mitigate the effects of regional climate change should be considered in adaptation planning. In this paper we review work undertaken in South Africa’s warm-temperate estuaries to examine factors that promote climate change resilience for estuaries and associated fish and also the potential refuge provided by estuaries from climate change impacts within coastal seascapes. The thermal refuge provided by the middle and upper reaches of permanently open marine dominated estuaries for fish species is illustrated from long-term temperature monitoring in estuaries and adjacent coastlines. During extreme temperature events in the nearshore and lower estuary reaches, minimal thermal variability is maintained in middle and upper estuarine reaches, thus providing biota with a refuge against extreme thermal variability. In healthy estuaries seagrass meadows are particularly important nursery habitats, which have the added ecosystem service of maintaining pH stability and providing ocean acidification refuges for associated fauna. However, this refuge potential (resilience) declined when high water temperatures associated with a marine heat wave, interacting with nutrient enrichment, caused macroalgae blooms in seagrass meadows. We identified estuaries in the warm-temperate region that potentially provide temperature and pH refuge based on their key features (connection to the sea, habitat availability and extent). In the warm-temperate seascape 13 estuaries with marine dominated middle reaches potentially provide thermal refuge for stenohaline species seeking refuge from thermal stress. Extensive seagrass beds potentially providing ocean acidification refuges are found in 10 of these 13 estuaries. Fish communities in healthy refuge estuaries (defined as estuaries with minimal habitat alteration and loss) are more resilient to climate change impacts than those in altered systems, with eutrophication being the primary anthropogenic driver of change.FulltextenWarm-temperateCoastal seascapesOcean acidificationArticlen/a